CHENNAI: For the third time since 2002, India will host the WSF World Junior Squash Championships after winning the rights from the World Squash Federation to stage the 2018 event in Chennai.
The Men’s & Women’s World Junior Individual Championships will take place at the Indian Squash Academy from 18-23 July, followed by the biennial Men’s World Junior Team Championship from 24-29 July.
“Indian squash has had a history of conducting mega squash events,” said Debendranath Sarangi, president of the Squash Rackets Federation of India . “I am delighted that we have won the bid to host the WSF World Junior Championships 2018. The Indian Squash Academy in Chennai is a fantastic venue and we look forward to welcoming global players to our championships.”
India first staged the men’s individual and team events in 2002, then both individual events together with the women’s team championship in 2009 – in both years also in Chennai.
WSF president Jacques Fontaine added: “There have been World & Asian Championships regularly staged in Chennai – the Indian federation provide excellent facilities as well as being great hosts. Taking this important WSF Championship to India will open another chapter that we look forward to.”
Pakistan will look to defend the title they won for the fifth time in the 2016 men’s team championship in Poland – where India finished in sixth place.
Pertinently, because the event is being held in Chennai, the usual political shenanigans that come with Pakistani participation in any international sporting event that India hosts will not be there.
Recent cases in point being the ICC World Twenty20, the Kabaddi World Cup and the Junior Hockey World Cup, all three of which India hosted last year. In the case of the World T20, a game scheduled to be held in Dharamsala between India and Pakistan had to be shifted to Kolkata. As for the Kabaddi World Cup and the Junior Hockey World Cup, India's traditional rivals were kept out of the competitions altogether.
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